


Shattered Glass

by spider_on_the_subway



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Abused Peter Parker, Angst with a Happy Ending, Families of Choice, Female Peter Parker, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, IronDad and SpiderSon, Irondad, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Tony Stark, Swearing, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, anti starker, drama now plot later, my dudes this is fun writing not good writing im here for the angst, people who foster are amazing, really - Freeform, unfair representation of the foster care system
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:03:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22309078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spider_on_the_subway/pseuds/spider_on_the_subway
Summary: Piper Parker became Tony Stark's intern following the events of Homecoming night. Over the hours spent together in the lab, Tony begrudgingly grew fond of the young superhero.However, when the true nature of Piper's home life is revealed, the two are suddenly forced to navigate a rocky father-daughter relationship, despite having only known each other for less than a year.(TW for Child Abuse)
Relationships: Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & James "Rhodey" Rhodes
Comments: 59
Kudos: 304





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Here is the start of the edited version of this story. It's not perfect (not that I'm expecting perfection aha), so if anyone feels like more background is necessary, let me know.

Homecoming was undoubtedly a disaster. Sure, Piper stopped Toomes from his rampage, saved a few lives and saved Tony Stark’s plane. Everything else, however? It went to shit.

~*~

Piper Parker crawled out of the wreckage of the plane, her chest burning from the smoke that billowed in plumes around her. H fight was finally over, but her return home and recovery were just beginning. 

Stumbling home was quite possibly the hardest thing Piper had ever done. With every passing painful second, she wished to simply collapse and fall asleep, but the prickle of fear on the back of her neck wouldn’t allow her that luxury. 

_ It’s over. _ The teen desperately tried to reassure herself.  _ All I have to do is get back to the apartment...then maybe call Liz to apologize for ditching her at the dance. _

With the hope of rest on her mind after what felt like hours of torture, Piper finally rounded the corner to her street. The police lights flashing outside of her apartment building confirmed the reason for her unrest and felt like a death sentence. 

Forgetting her pain and the fact that she looked like she’d physically walked through hell, Piper lurched into a sprint.

The officers standing outside the building looked stern, their blue uniforms seeming to blend into the night. One policewoman was talking in a hushed voice to Piper’s neighbor, old Mrs. Anderson. 

One short policeman looked up at Piper as she approached the building, confusion and concern coloring his face as he took in her ragged state.

“What-” Piper’s voice caught in her stinging throat, and she let out a dry cough, swaying slightly in place. “What’s going on? Is everyone ok?”

The short officer walked closer, his brow furrowing. “Are you Piper Parker?”

Goosebumps rose on her skin and she swallowed what might have been blood. “Yeah…”

The policewoman who had been questioning Mrs. Anderson appeared, reaching for Piper as if to guide her by the shoulders. “Okay, why don’t you come sit down by the ambulance for a minute honey-”

“No!” Piper jerked away from the woman, feeling guilty as she flinched slightly. “Tell me what’s going on. Why’s Mrs. Anderson out here? Why do you want to know who I am?”

The officer looked momentarily lost for words, uncertainty making her look almost childish. “Well, there was a break in a few hours ago, to what’s your apartment, I suppose. Your aunt, May Parker, unfortunately sustained a gunshot wound during an altercation with the intruder. I’m so sorry, Piper, she didn’t make it…” Her voice seemed to fade away, her words no longer important to Piper.

“You...that can’t be true.” She was calm.  _ It was only a mistake. _ “That wasn’t my aunt. She’s fine. I have to go upstairs, or I’ll miss my curfew.” 

The officer stopped her before she could push past them. “Miss Parker, I’m sorry, but the body of May Parker has already been identified by your neighbor. I can assure you, you’ll be taken care of. How about we go sit down over at the ambulance so the EMTs can take a look at you. You don’t look too good, honey. What happened today?”

This time, Piper allowed herself to be led to the vehicle, her footsteps unsteady and her mind racing.

_ This couldn’t be right. It shouldn’t be her. It should have been someone else, anyone other than May. Maybe if she didn’t go to homecoming, or had been home earlier...if she’d listened to Mr Stark and let the adults handle it...maybe she would have been home and May would have been safe. It would have been ok. _

She stumbled on the curb, not even bothering to throw her arms out in front of her to soften her fall to the ground. Her breath was quick and came in wheezes, and the colors of the ambulance and police lights filtered around her like a miserable kaleidoscope.

Someone was shouting above her, but Piper couldn’t lift her head from the dirty asphalt.

_ May was gone, and it was her fault. _

~*~

From that day on, Piper’s life was never the same. She woke up in a hospital bed, where CPS workers informed her that, due to her lack of willing adult figures for support, she would be moved to a foster home for the foreseeable future. Piper nodded along to their words, not really caring about what happened.

The workers left her in a slightly run-down apartment with a watery-eyed man named Sean who looked annoyed every time she walked into his line of sight.

Piper returned to her apartment with Sean a few days later, collecting what she needed and leaving the rest for her landlord. He touched her aunt’s apron, and she screamed at him to leave it be, needing someone to blame for something. He turned around and walked out of the door, leaving her to walk home with the rest of the boxes she wanted to keep.

Months passed of nothingness. Liz moved away, Ned looked at her with pity, and MJ tolerated both her and Ned for some unknown reason. Piper started her junior year, but didn’t return to her work as Spidergirl; the energy required to create a new suit after the last one’s destruction from homecoming just wasn’t there. 

Sean was never really happy, and Piper learned quite quickly that he had a nasty habit of going drinking with his old college friends and returning with nothing but anger on his mind. A few slaps here or there meant nothing since Piper had nowhere else to stay. She was lucky, right?

There was no way Sean was the worst person she could have landed with, even considering his detailed sets of rules and punishments. 

Despite the oddities, it seemed like life was returning to routine. A warped routine filled with fake senses of morale, sure, but a routine nonetheless… until Tony Stark appeared in her life once more. Six months had passed since their arguments. The billionaire was tall and unbothered as ever, seeming to take up more space in the public library where Piper was studying than what should have been humanly possible. 

Saying that Piper was scared when he randomly showed up would certainly be an understatement. She didn’t even try to say anything, instead waiting in wary silence for him to demand she find the impossible funds to fix his damaged plane or contribute to the rebuilding of the demolished warehouse. Instead, the man had sighed dramatically and offered her an internship in STEM and the opportunity to return to her work as Spidergirl. In an awkward, forced manner, he offered a weak apology for his anger after the ferry incident and tried to bribe her with the added bonus of the internship being paid.

She accepted. _ Sue her, _ Sean spent far more money out with his ‘buddies’ than he actually produced at his shitty office job, and she had nowhere to go if they were evicted. 

Tony Stark was an anomaly, and Piper couldn’t decide if she trusted him or not. The man certainly seemed to accept blame with the Toomes incident, but still avoided that topic of discussion. Within their first weeks of the internship, he returned her suit with multiple upgrades, never responding to thanks. He was loud, and moved quickly and decisively. Always patting her shoulder or lightly teasing Piper about her idiotic science pun t-shirts, the superhero was almost becoming a friend to her.

And yet, Piper waited.

She’d seen how quickly he’d fallen to anger a few months before and it reminded her of Sean. Tony had never been violent with her, but she didn’t want to give him the chance. So, she continued to learn quietly in the lab, allowing it to become a space of safety and comfort while still being careful with its creator.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


	2. Chapter Two

Tony didn’t register the sound of Piper entering the lab, his mind and hands focused on modifying his gauntlet. _The repulsor had been functioning on less than 100% capacity, and he knew why. Now all he had to do was focus on changing his design to allow maximum power to flow to the repulsors._

Piper initially followed her normal path to her workspace, but hesitated halfway there. Seeming to come to a decision, her footsteps echoed slightly as she turned to the sunken couch in the corner of the room.

About thirty minutes later, Tony shocked himself when his tool brushed against the gauntlet’s repulsor, effectively breaking his concentration.

He cursed at the gauntlet, shaking his hand violently to calm the sensation.

A stifled laugh came from across the room, before cutting off instantly when Tony’s head snapped upwards.

There was Piper, sprawled on his couch, hand over her mouth to muffle the sound of her laughter.

Tony pointed a wrench threateningly “How long have you been here?” His accusing yet joking tone of voice made Piper straighten almost immediately.

“Uh, not very long sir.”

“Miss Parker arrived precisely at 4:15 sir, and has been waiting for you to resume your usual work on the Spider Suit since then” FRIDAY intoned, her voice sounding almost amused.

“Hmph.” Tony straightened from his slumped position, groaning slightly. Glancing over at the clock, he saw that it was about 5. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Shit Piper, why didn’t you say something?”

The teen looked confused for a moment, her eyes flickering over to the gauntlet on Tony’s workbench. “Uh, you were busy, sir… I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Next time, do. I’m not going to stab you with my wrench or something. Capiche?”

Piper blinked in surprise before nodding silently.

“Wonderful.” Tony clapped his hands and the floating blueprints and schematics that revolved around his workspace disappeared. Standing, he strode over to the seating area where Piper was seated and peered down at what she had been working on. “Physics, huh?” He reached down and grabbed her abandoned notebook, not noticing Piper’s small flinch caused by his motion. “I thought you were more into Biochem?”

“Yeah, I am,” She responded evenly, her brow slightly furrowed “But if I have any hope at getting into some of the schools I’m looking at, it’s required.” At that moment, Piper’s phone lit up with a text. She grabbed it from its place on the coffee table instantly, the screen tilted so it was hidden from Tony’s view. 

Tony settled on the couch a distance away from Piper, examining her physics textbook while he waited for her to finish whatever business she had to handle.

“This is..actually pretty advanced. AP, huh?” he queried, impressed by what he saw in the hefty textbook.

Not receiving a response, he glanced up. His intern was frozen in place, her hand clenched so tightly around her phone that, if not for the fact that Tony himself had designed it, he would be worried for its integrity

“Hey, you alright there kid?” He asked, confused by her sudden change in demeanor.

Piper seemed to snap out of her reverie, blinking rapidly.

“Yes, sir. I just-” She spun around quickly picking up her bag and stuffing her folders back into it. “I gotta go, sorry.”

Tony cocked an eyebrow. “You’re supposed to be here until 7:30. I mean, you are getting paid”

Piper shrugged, slinging her bag over her shoulders. “People take time off work all the time. That’s like, a normal thing to do.”

“Yeah, well, they do normally give a bit of warning first. Do you need a ride?” He rose without waiting for an answer, wondering where the hell he left any pair of car keys. She wouldn’t make eye contact, twisting the toe of her ratty converse on the floor behind her.

No!” Stopping him immediately, she then lowered her voice back to a normal volume carefully. “Sorry..I’m good. Don’t worry about it, sir.”

Tony snorted. “Thought we were past the ‘sir’ stuff? It’s Tony, kid. Or at least Mr. Stark.”

Pipers nodded agreeably, checking her phone screen once more as she backed towards the elevator.

“Yes s- Mr. Stark. Good night.” She spun and jogged out of the room, typing something on her phone as she left.

Sighing, Tony dragged a hand over his face and returned to his workbench. 

~*~

Four hours later, the sound of Rhodey’s voice echoed through the lab.

“Hey Tones, what’s up?”

Tony hummed noncommittally, still focused on the task at hand. His brain hummed pleasantly with ideas.

Rhodey glanced around the workshop, noting the absence of Piper.

“Where’s the kid at?”

“She left a bit ago, didn’t really explain.” Tony mumbled as he switched tools, still not looking at Rhodey. _If he just shifted the palladium core slightly to the rig-_

“She does that a lot, huh?”

Tony finally looked up at his friend, voice stronger than he planned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Rhodey raised his hands in surrender. “Nothin’ bad, man. She’s just been acting weird for a while. You know if everything is fine at home?”

Tony gave up on ignoring Rhodey, stretching and relishing in the way his back cracked. “I’m..not sure actually. She doesn’t really talk about it much. All I know is that she’s been at a foster home for about a year now. Some guy named Sean. I looked him up, seems pretty normal to me.”

“Huh.” Rhodey looked troubled. “She like it there?”

Shrugging, Tony swiveled around in the chair, straightening and heading to the fridge in the corner. “Seems so. Want a drink, Rhodey Bear? Haven’t had one in ages-”

“Don’t take this the wrong way Tony, but doesn’t Piper seem to get really nervous whenever you get close to her?”

Tony paused in this path to the fridge, an icy chill running through him as the meaning of Rhodey’s words sank in. “You think her foster parent is hitting her.”

“I don’t… exactly know Tony, but it definitely seems like a possibility. You can’t deny that she tends to avoid being within a five foot range of any of us, Pepper included.”

Tony’s eyes narrowed and he spun away from the fridge. “FRIDAY, did Piper have any bruises on her when she came into the Tower today?”

“I did not perform a scan on her, sir, as I was not instructed to do so.” There was a pause, as if the AI was choosing her next words carefully. “However, I did pick up security footage that did show multiple abrasions on Miss Parker’s wrist and neck.”

Tony froze, numb shock permeating every cell in his body. “Show us.” He heard himself croak.

Holographic screens projected images onto the wall:

 _Piper slipping into the elevator, focused on texting someone. She sent the message and as she flipped her phone around to put it into her back pocket, the scene froze and the camera zoomed in on her left wrist. Dark bruises in the shape of a hand marred her skin, clear evidence that someone had recently grabbed her much harder than anyone should. The footage switched, now showing the moment when Piper swung her backpack off of her shoulder in the lab. The weight of the bag pulled her shirt to the side, revealing dark cuts and bruises that littered her skin._ The recording shut off, leaving the lab in stunned silence.

Cold, sinking dread bloomed in Tony’s chest as he internally replayed every interaction he’d had with his intern for the past months. _How hadn’t he seen this? The signs had been right in front of him._

Rhodey let out a long sigh after a moment, breaking the quiet that had taken ahold of the room. “Well, I was originally planning on having a nice evening in, but I think it’s time to pay Sean a nice visit.”

~*~

When the two pulled up at Piper’s address, they were shocked by the dilapidated apartment building. Moss and ivy covered many walls of the cracked exterior, and old concrete stairs were covered in fading graffiti.

“Jesus Tony, she lives here?” Rhodey turned from the passenger seat to glare at him incredulously.

“Shit, I didn’t know. She hadn’t mentioned that anything was wrong.” Tony gripped the wheel of the car, trying to defend himself while knowing damn well he’d never forgive himself for his oversight.

Silence reigned for a tense moment, and then the two superheroes simultaneously reached for the door handles and stepped out of the car.

They found Piper’s apartment with ease, FRIDAY directing the two calmly from earpieces. Loud yelling from inside the room was clearly discernible from their place in the hallway, signaling that their suspicions were correct. The fiberglass door of the home was slightly loose in its frame, allowing Tony to easily slip a tool between the panels and break the lock.

Entering the apartment, Tony and Rhodey were greeted by the sight of a beefy man screaming profanities at a cornered, pale faced Piper. The teen already had a split lip and was leaning on one leg, but that didn’t seem to be stopping the man. Hoisting her up by the collar, Sean shoved Piper against the wall, just high enough so that her feet were dangling off the floor

“Have you learned your fucking lesson yet?” He slurred, leaning close to her face

Face turning dark red, Piper desperately nodded as well as she could with his hand wrapped around her neck. “Yes- promise.”

Sean laughed an ugly twisted laugh and dropped his hand from her neck mercifully. “The funny thing is, _I don’t think you have._ ” He clenched his fist again, cracking the knuckles, and Piper shrank back in horror. 

Tony had seen enough. Finally able to break out of the stupor he had been stuck in, he strode into the room.

“Get the absolute fuck away from her.”

Sean’s head snapped around. “Who the hell are you?” He jeered, not bothering to move away from Piper.

Tony’s vision went red. “I’m Tony Stark,” Surging forward, he grabbed Sean’s arm and wrenched him away from Piper, allowing her to stumble away from them. In that moment, two parts of Tony’s conscience struggled: the urge to check on his kid, and the urge to murder the man who dared to hurt her.

The latter won. “...and I am going to fucking kill you.”

Tony gripped the man’s arm with a steely grip, harshly shoving him into the kitchen away from Piper. He slammed Sean against the laminate cabinets, yanking the shorter man’s collar upward to force eye contact. The man’s watery eyes, pupils wide with intoxication, betrayed no fear. “You-” Sean slurred. “You’re one of them superheroes...think you can go shovin’ your nose in people’s business….Wha’ I do to my kid don’ mean shit to you. S’ just her punishment for talkin’ outta turn and not doin’ her work. ‘S what she deserv-”

Before the disgusting man could finish his sentence, Tony slammed his fist into Sean’s face, shattering his nose and sending blood cascading down his face.

The man screamed. “You bastar-“

Tony slapped his hand over Sean’s mouth, ignoring the blood that poured onto his hands. Breathing heavily in an attempt to calm his rage, he spoke in a quiet snarl.

“Shut up! Listen to me and listen well. You are no damn parent of hers. You. Are. Nothing. You’ll be lucky if you survive this, let alone leave this room without being in a fucking gurney.”

Sean’s eyes narrowed with fury, and he sent a sloppy punch towards the billionaire. Not about to let the pathetic excuse of a man hit him, Tony grabbed the fist with his palm, absorbing the impact. Picturing the dark bruises on Piper’s wrist, he twisted the man’s arm savagely, a loud satisfying crack sounding as the bones in his arm shattered. The man crumpled with a pitiful whimper, clutching his arm, and Tony took the opportunity to deliver a light kick to his head, effectively knocking the man unconscious. 

Suddenly a sharp cry came from across the room “Get away from me!”

Tony spun around instantly, his focus switching to Piper, who was pressed into the base of the dingy couch in the corner, her chapped, shaky hands forming an ineffectual shield over her face. Rhodey stood a few feet away from Piper, his hands raised in surrender as he tried to soothe her.

Immediately, Tony stepped out of the kitchen and away from the motionless body of Sean. He motioned for Rhodey to step, and knelt on the floor a few meters away from Piper’s crumpled form.

“Hey kid” he tried, keeping his voice low and quiet.

Piper let out a quiet sob, somehow shrinking farther away from him. “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again. Please..”

Taking a deep breath, Tony continued, electing to ignore her pleas.

“So, it is technically still lab time, so we’re gonna head back to the Tower, ok? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Haven’t eaten dinner yet. You’re a fan of Thai food, right?”

His rambling seemed to work, as Piper carefully lowered her shaking hands to reveal a quickly-forming black eye, split lip, and a long cut on her cheekbone. “Yes, sir. I- I’m sorry you have to deal with this-”

“Nothing to worry about kid.” The billionaire maintained a surprisingly cheerful tone despite the sadness bubbling in his chest. “We’re gonna get you out of here now, and then we’ll go get some food, alright?”

Piper gave a slight nod, her eyes darting warily around the apartment. For a moment, she made eye contact with Rhodey, and all the blood drained from her face.

“I-I didn’t mean to yell at you Colonel. I’m so sorry, I-"

Rhodey cut her off with a simple raise of his hand.

“Piper, it’s fine. I'm not angry with you. I would like to get out of here before the police arrive, though, so Tony’s lawyers can just handle it. Do you think you can stand up?”

Piper, likely eager to calm Rhodey’s suspected anger with obedience, quickly nodded. Bracing her hands against the linoleum tile, she pushed herself to her feet. Tony slowly rose as well, staying a few feet away from her for her comfort, and beckoned her towards the door.

The moment Piper took a step forward, her leg gave out. A startled cry wrenched from her lips and Tony lurched forward instinctively, his arms wrapping around her before she could fall.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback is lovely if you're willing to give it!


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the chapter!

The moment Tony’s arms closed around her, Piper was cursing herself for her mistake. How could she be so stupid? It was just a little ankle injury; there was no reason for her to overreact the way she just had. At this point, there was no other feasible outcome from this situation than Tony hurting her.  _ His punishments will be terrible, won't they? _

A literal superhero, Tony was so much taller and stronger than her. In addition to that, he was a genius. He could easily devise new punishments for her that were sure to hurt more than anything she had ever experienced before.

She was screwed.

“I’m sorry sir!” Piper managed to gasp out, pushing at the man’s chest so he would let her go. “I- I didn’t mean to.. please don’t hurt me. I-”

“You’re fine, Piper.” Tony murmured, his hands gentle as he pulled the teen away from him by her shoulders. Holding careful eye contact, he asked “Is it the ankle?”

She nodded instantly, not willing to risk a lie. Despite Tony's current gentle demeanor, it could change at any time to something more nefarious.

Tony sucked in a sharp breath, and she winced.  _ Should she have lied? Maybe she’d misread the situation.  _ Instead of growing angry, however, the man simply turned his head towards Colonel Rhodes in a helpless manner. “Rhodey? Any advice?”

The aforementioned man started as if he’d been in a daze. “Right." Stepping closer, he took on a professional attitude. "Piper, let's get you onto the couch so your weight is off of it. We’ll just see if your ankle is sprained or broken before we leave so the doctors at the Tower know what to expect.”

Tony carefully helped her to the couch, immediately stepping back once she was settled.  _ Why? _

Rhodes did the opposite and moved closer, causing Piper to instinctively move away, her ankle burning as she did so.

“Hey, don’t do that. You’re going to hurt yourself." Tony cautioned, hovering awkwardly. “Try not to move the ankle too much.”

Piper couldn't breathe.  _ Tony was angry at her. He had to be. It’d be deserved; she was too weak and didn't follow his command to walk. She had disobeyed him. She disobeyed the man with the most power over her right now. How could she have possibly made this big of a mistake?  _

Lost in thought, she failed to notice that Rhodes had knelt beside her. He reached forward to touch her injured ankle, and Piper turned her head away. There was no use struggling. They'd do what they wanted to, whether that was hurt or help her.

But there was a pause, a hesitation of sorts.

“Piper.” 

She tensed even more. She had to acknowledge Colonel Rhodes, but what if he didn’t want her to speak? It’s not like she could make eye contact with him. That was at least a black eye with Sean. Who knew what it would be with these two. Piper chose to simply give the universal response:

“Yes sir?”

A stifled sigh came from Tony, and cold adrenaline flooded Piper's chest.  _ Had she done something wrong? _ Staring straight ahead at the chips in the drywall, she wished that she could just sink into the scratchy couch cushions and disappear.

“Do you mind if I touch your leg?”

_ Did she mind? Yes, of course she minded. God knows what he wanted to do with it. It wasn’t like she could say that to him, though; that’d probably warrant the belt. But why the hell did Rhodey care what she wanted?  _

With a start, Piper realized that she had hesitated for too long. 

“Uh- no. It’s... fine sir.”

“Ok then.” Rhodey’s voice was still calm and quiet, but Piper refused to look at him. There was no way that would end well. 

A light touch landed on her ankle, and she jolted slightly. Rhodey rotated her ankle slightly then, and sharp, grating pain slashed through it. Inhaling sharply, Piper clenched her fists so tightly that her nails bit into her palms.

“That’s definitely broken Tones.” Rhodey reported, solemn. “Maybe in a few different places.”

“Shit!” Tony’s voice was a sharp growl, something that made Piper wince. Clearly, he noticed because he took a few deep breaths and continued.

“Ok...ok.” His voice grew calmer. “Kid?"

Piper hummed slightly, a completely neutral manner to acknowledge him. 

"We have to get you out to the car so you can get fixed up back at medical. One of us is going to have to carry you though, understand? You’re clearly in no shape to walk.”

Immediately, Piper swung her legs over the side of the couch. “No, sir-I can walk, promise. I don’t want to be an inconvenience. I’m fine.”

Tony blinked, surprise painting his features. “What? You're not an inconvenience, kid. Hell no. Just-" The billionaire ran a rough hand through his hair. "That's not what I meant. Let's just get out of here, ok?"

Wordlessly, Piper nodded, feeling hopelessly vulnerable, but knowing that refusing him once more would be a large mistake.

Without another word, Tony moved around the couch and slipped his arms underneath her knees and back. She squeezed her eyes shut, one singular tear dripping down her face as Tony lifted her off the floor and pulled against his chest. 

Straightening, Tony nodded at Rhodey and pushed the apartment door open with his foot. The dimly lit corridor that lay outside held nothing of value, only strange men leering from smoky doorways, and chipped concrete stairs with mysterious stains. By the time they reached his car, Tony had made up his mind; Piper would be staying with him.

~*~

Piper shifted slightly, the plush pillows and outrageously soft blankets doing nothing to help her sleep.

Tony's words (intended to be comforting but still empty to her) echoed through her head.

“I’ll handle everything kid. Don’t worry about it. You're safe. You can stay with me for a while.”

The man had been uncharacteristically serious, his eyes dark and earnest against his drawn face. Piper, lying on a cot in the Stark Tower medical wing, had blindly agreed like an idiot.

Now she laid in an obnoxiously opulent guest room in the Tower penthouse, her mind spinning with the events of the day and uncertainty about the future.

What would Tony do with her? He had said that she would stay with him, but what did he want in return? Sean had always required something in payment for her sleeping and eating in his home. Generally, the more food and better room she received, the more was asked of her. Piper was sure that Tony had already spent far too much money on her medical treatment, and that thought was nothing but terrifying.

_ What did he want? A lab rat? A punching bag for when he got angry or stressed? As the owner of a Fortune 500 company and an Avenger, that had to happen a lot. But...this was Tony! Up until this point, he’d never hurt her or even raised his voice at her, if she disregarded the ferry incident. _

Piper rolled onto her side and let out a frustrated sigh. She was so, so tired and she knew it was time to accept the facts; Tony's past actions didn't mean anything. People she'd trusted in the past had betrayed her, and this would likely be no different. 

With that thought in her mind, she resolved not to do anything that would possibly make Tony angry. She would accept any punishment easily so that maybe they wouldn’t be as harsh. She would clean up after herself, keep quiet, and stay out of his way. She’d just follow the rules that she had with Sean. That had to keep her safe.

Right.

_ Right? _

  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the kudos and comments you've left on this story! I really appreciate the support, and ily 😊
> 
> If you want to see anything in particular occur in this story, just let me know and I'll make it happen!


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!  
> Thanks for your feedback on the last chapter- I'll be sure to include your ideas throughout the story!  
> Also this is the last exposition chapter, so chapters should be longer and have more of a distinct purpose soon.  
> A wonderful thing I've discovered while writing this story and editing is the fact that, without fail, in every chapter someone either raises an eyebrow. Please stop me.   
> Anyway, enjoy!

The next morning, Piper awoke to the distant chime of rain bouncing on glass. Although exhaustion still pulled at her eyelids, she groaned and rolled onto her side, blinking blearily at the grey sky outside the window. Grey sky. Grey…sky?

_ Holy shit. _

She sat bolt upright in bed, now fully awake.

_ Did she have to go to school? _

She hadn’t brought any of her textbooks or other personal belongings from the apartment, so what was she supposed to do? Did Tony expect her to go back to collect them? Or would he return her to the apartment after a few weeks? The night before, Tony had said that she could stay with him for a little while… was that until he thought that Sean would calm down? Piper had learned from painful experience that Sean never truly calmed down.

The best thing to do, Piper decided, was to just leave the guest room and see what the day had in store for her...what Tony had in store for her.

After making herself look respectable with the simple toiletries left for her in the bathroom, Piper limped to the door, making a conscious decision to abandon her crutches in favour of simply balancing on her leg brace. She hated the crutches with a burning passion; they were symbolic of her weakness and reminded Piper of her healing factor, which had been a large topic of conversation the night before.

_ Dr. Ramdel, loose strands of hair escaping her bun on the back of her head, crossed her arms sternly. _

_ “Mr. Stark, I don’t know who this girl is or what she means to you, but if she is enhanced as you claim, she’s in deep trouble. Whatever healing factor she should have has been remarkably slowed down, as well as whatever superpowers she might have due to malnutrition and a host of other things. For her body to be reacting as though it is unenhanced reflects badly on her overall state of health. Piper,” the professional woman turned to her “do your powers operate on a need-based system or are they always there in general?”  _

_ Piper blinked and lifted a weary hand to push her curls back from her face. “Uh, I’m pretty sure it’s more of a need based thing, ma’am.”  _

_ Tony raised an eyebrow, perplexed, and Dr. Ramdel hastened to explain. “Basically, Piper’s system is directing all of its energy into keeping her alert in case of attack, meaning that her powers and healing factor are all down until further notice. Clearly, her ankle has already healed some which takes away the necessity of a cast, but the healing will likely plateau soon. The bottom line is: her brain needs to recognize that she is in a safe environment for her to heal properly.”  _

_ Tony took a long look at Piper, his gaze troubled. “Got it.”  _

Piper had liked Dr. Ramdel. The woman was kind and knowledgeable, and what she had said about Piper’s healing factor made sense. Over the past few months, bruises and other wounds on Piper had taken much longer than usual to heal, resulting in reduced vigilante activities in order to avoid more pain. But the issue was that no true solution to Piper’s problem existed. There was no possible way that she would ever feel completely safe around Tony, so her wounds wouldn’t truly heal. He’d probably get annoyed at this and hit her or something, and then the cycle would continue. The future was bleak, but the only thing left to do was survive and hope it would be marginally better than the past.

~*~

The threat of the day ahead loomed over Piper like a gallows. Once she left her room, uncertainty and irregularities were all that could possibly face her. But her room was dark, and her thoughts were growing more frantic, so she took a deep, shaky breath and opened her door.

The living room was dark due to the storm outside, but it was a darkness that oddly held warmth. The modern interior of the penthouse, with its fifty feet of glass windows, a sleek kitchen, and shining floors shouldn’t have been comforting, and yet it was. Maybe Piper felt safe because the penthouse was the antipode of Sean’s apartment, or maybe it was just the aesthetic lighting. Whatever the case, she felt courageous enough to 

Sitting on a sunken couch in the living room were Tony and Pepper Potts. They were dressed in comfortable clothes and huddled over a spread of pages on a low coffee table. Although Tony was talking evenly in a quiet voice, Piper’s eyes were immediately drawn to the bandages on the man’s knuckles, a stark reminder of the violence of the preceding night.

“...no way in hell she’s going back there. I’ll do whatever the lawyers want as long as it keeps her here.”

So they were talking about her...making arrangements for her future?

Piper stepped closer. She was still partially hidden in shadows, but dangerously close to being caught eavesdropping.

“We can always set up a temporary guardianship, I suppose.” Pepper mused, her voice distant as her mind processed through the legalities that could get them to that point. “You might want to wait for anything else until you see how this works out and how comfortable she is.”

Tony ran a hand through his hair. His eyes were tired and his trademark beard was less prominent than usual to the shadow of stubble on the rest of his jaw. “Yeah, sure. We probably should hire a shrink or something, too...I’ve never seen her so terrified like she was last night, Pep. It’s still messing with me.”

Quite simply, Piper was bewildered. Tony’s attitude and body language were totally different than the norm; his biting sarcasm and bluster had disappeared under the mask of some other mysterious emotion that Piper couldn’t identify. Frankly, it terrified her. Predictability was good. It was safe. It meant that Piper could tell when someone would be angry and hurt her, or when they would be calm and merciful. Tony had always been unpredictable to a certain extent, but this was a whole new level of abnormalities.

Pepper had just opened her mouth to respond when FRIDAY’s automated voice interjected into their conversation. “Apologies for interrupting ma’am, but you would probably like to know that Miss Parker is awake and can likely hear your conversation.”

~*~

Tony looked up from the papers on the desk, locating Piper in the room in an instant. Though halfway hidden in the shadows of the hallway, her surprise and defensive posture was clearly visible from where he was sitting.

Beside him, Pepper let out a small noise of surprise, and he squeezed her shoulder. He was grateful that his fiancée was willing to help him in whatever was to come.

Piper tentatively took a few steps into the living room, looking like she expected Tony to activate his gauntlet and shoot her at any second. To ease her fears, Tony decided to start with an easy greeting.

“Hey kid. Sleep well?”

Piper shuddered slightly, disbelief momentarily coloring her features before it faded underneath a deeply flawed mask of calm. “Uh, yes sir?”

Tony winced. God, he hated being called sir.

“That’s good. So how much of our conversation did you hear?”

His words sounded harsh, even to his ears. He genuinely did not care that Piper had overheard their talk; they had been speaking in a semi-public place, after all. He simply wanted to know what things he still had to explain to Piper. Clearly however, Piper registered anger in his voice. She seemed to shrink further into herself, and folded her arms around herself in some sort of pitiful self-hug.

“I’m sorry for listening in; I just heard voices and got curious…”

Her voice trailed off, and she looked at the floor miserably to avoid Tony’s gaze.

“No worries hon.” Pepper (who Tony swore that he’d never take for granted again), smoothly redirected the awkward conversation into more positive waters. “How about you come sit here” She patted the seat of a chair opposite the couch “And I’ll get us some snacks. Anything in particular you’d like?”

“No ma’am.” Piper responded automatically, “I don’t need anything.”

Pepper nodded. “Well, I for one would love a smoothie and a scone so how about that?”

Without waiting for a response, Pepper left for the kitchen. Piper took hesitant steps towards the sitting area, her wary eyes flicking back and forth between Tony and the chair she’d been directed to sit at.

Finally, she fully looked up at Tony, clearly conflicted. “Am I really allowed to sit here, sir?”

Tony blinked. He honestly would have laughed if Piper didn’t look as absolutely pathetic as she did. Her fists clenched so hard that her knuckles were bright white, she was clearly trying to gauge Tony’s mood while simultaneously avoiding eye contact with him.

“Since when have I not let you sit on a chair?” As soon as he let that question slip, Tony was cursing himself. It sounded far more accusing than curious, and he knew damn well where (or rather, who) she was getting these ideas from. He tried to backtrack, but the damage was already done.

Piper's face instantly colored with a hot blush and she quickly sat down in embarrassment. “Never sir. I just-”

She cut herself off quickly as Pepper approached with smoothies and a plate of breakfast pastries. The blonde woman placed the plate on the coffee table and held out a smoothie for Piper to take. Piper hesitated, her eyes darting towards Tony in a panic. He raised an eyebrow in question, perplexed at her anxiety.

“I-I don’t-” She stared at the purple drink, then up at the woman offering it to her.

Pepper instantly pulled the smoothie back, a stricken expression crossing her face. “Oh hon, I’m so sorry, I didn’t ask if you were allergic to anything. Is it the fruit, or-?"

Surprise cut into Tony like a knife. He couldn’t believe that he had neglected to remember such vital information. “Are you allergic?! Shit, FRIDAY, check her medical records.” Piper pressed herself back into the leather chair as if she wanted to sink into the material and disappear.

“No, no I’m not allergic to anything. I just don’t understand; who am I supposed to be listening to? Sean said I couldn’t eat food like this-” She gestured helplessly at the smoothie “-so I thought that’s what Tony would want, but you're...” Her voice trailed off, and she straightened as realization appeared to dawn on her face. “Oh.”

Pepper, curious as to what Piper was thinking but not wanting to overwhelm her, took a few steps backward and returned to the couch. “What?” 

Piper dropped her eyes to the floor. “It’s a test."

Taken aback, Pepper couldn't help the way her voice rose in surprise. "What? Why would it be a test?"

Piper winced at the raised voice. "Never mind ma'am, I didn't mean anything by it..."

As Piper desperately tried to apologize for doing absolutely nothing wrong, Tony sat back on the couch and pinched his nose. A headache was growing steadily behind his eyes, and the only thing he could think was:  _ Christ, we’re messing this up. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for the support!


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!  
> So, it's been a while. I finished the editing and added in some background information, but now I'm in the process of writing the next chapter.  
> Thanks for your patience.

Four days passed in a blur. Mind-numbing boredom mixed with sporadic moments of sheer panic to create an odd sort of void in which Piper became incapable of truly processing what was happening to her.

On the first day at the Tower, after the fateful smoothie incident, Piper was given papers to sign. She sat with Tony and Pepper on their too-clean couch and signed on dotted line after dotted line, not even bothering to read the information on the pages. After completing the signatures and forms, she quietly requested to return to her room. Tony and Pepper exchanged a quick, meaningful glance, but gave their permission anyhow. Walking quickly away, Piper wiped a stray tear from her face. She couldn’t figure out what they wanted, and that didn’t bode well for her.

In the morning of her second day, she asked Tony if she could return to school for the last few days of the fall semester. He was working on paperwork for SI when she’d asked him, looking as professional and intimidating as he did on the day she’d first met him. For a moment after she asked, he just looked at her, analyzing. She’d grown nervous, sure then that entering his office without express permission had been a huge mistake. He didn't yell though, or threaten her, or something . Instead, he merely dropped his pen on the table carelessly and deflected the question, clearly reluctant to answer. Seeing this, she hastily dropped the subject and excused herself from the room. On her way to the elevator, she caught a glimpse of Tony’s face. He looked frustrated.

The third day, Piper didn’t leave her room until nighttime, choosing instead to work on the homework that Ned and MJ had sent her. At seven in the evening, there was a knock on her door. At her call, Tony stepped into the room, leaning on the door jam awkwardly. His hair was slightly wild, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but he smiled at her nonetheless. He told her that, if she wanted, she could eat dinner with him and Pepper. She nodded her head silently, not willing to risk saying the wrong thing. The lines on his forehead more prominent than usual, Tony opened his mouth, about to say something. Appearing to second guess himself, he shut it again and ducked out of the room. Dinner was painfully silent that night.

On the fourth day, Piper was determined to do everything correctly. Already, it was apparent that she was a disruption and a burden on Tony and Pepper’s lives, so she had to try to make their lives a bit easier without getting in their way. She only left her room a few times in the day in order to get food (FRIDAY would alert Tony if she neglected to do so) and to clean up what little mess remained in the kitchen. Washing a few dishes and cleaning the countertops a few times a day was a small price to pay for safety.

Her leg brace was removed in the morning. Dr. Ramdell, quiet but firm, cautioned Piper away from large amounts of movement, informing her that her ankle had not yet fully healed, and that rest was imperative to her success. Piper nodded along, not processing the information, her attention focused on Tony, who was uncharacteristically still as he questioned the doctor.

That night, she was roused out of a peaceful doze when she suddenly remembered something horrifying. She’d left a plate from dinner on the countertop. 

Vaulting out of bed in a panicked haze, she completely forgot all caution as she wrenched open the door and slid into the hallway. Thankfully, the common rooms were empty due to the late hour. Now, all she had to do was find the plate, rinse it, open the dishwasher, and put it on the rack. So simple, but so risky. What if Tony didn’t want her in the kitchen at certain times? What if he’d alerted FRIDAY to tell him whenever she left a mess somewhere?

She reached the kitchen in record time with her hurt leg, spotting the offending plate and grabbing it with a hasty hand. Her speed was where she made her fatal mistake. With horror, she watched as her unstable grip caused the plate to slip from her fingers and shatter on the marble tile.

Silence. Piper didn’t even dare to breathe, cold dread sinking in her stomach. 

A door opened in the hallway, and Tony’s voice called. “Piper? Everything ok?”  _ Concern. That was odd. _

Answering Tony was clearly out of the question; there was no way she would remain as polite as was necessary when she was panicking. But she had no time to fix the mess she had made. The shards of the white plate taunted her as footsteps echoed down the corridor.

She turned to run, unfortunately forgetting that running on broken glass and marble tile with a still-healing leg is not the easiest task.

She slipped with a shriek of surprise, landing on her hands and knees in the shards. It didn’t matter; that pain was far less than what she would suffer if Tony reached her.

With shaky legs, she scrambled to her feet and stumbled out of the kitchen, leaving drops of blood and shattered glass on the marble tile.

She knew approximately where the Spider Suit was: somewhere at the bottom of the boxes that Mr. Stark’s security had brought to the Tower from Sean’s apartment

Throwing herself on her knees in front of the boxes, she rummaged through them frantically. Time was limited.  _ Why hadn’t she just unpacked these days ago? _

“Piper? What the hell is going on? ” Tony’s voice demanded, quick steps in the corridor announcing his advancement towards her room.

“FRIDAY,” Piper hissed, “Can you lock the door?” At the very bottom of the fourth box, she was greeted with familiar bright red and blue spandex. She scrambled to pull the suit on.

“I can miss, but if Mr. Stark asks me to open it, I will have no choice.” The AI informed her, sounding almost sympathetic. 

“That’s fine” Piper wheezed out as she stumbled to the window, only halfway dressed in the suit.

Wrenching the lock to the right, she tumbled out of the window straight into a freefall.

A web shot to another building slowed her fall, but she didn’t stop moving until she was blocks away from the Tower. Pausing in her flight, she second guessed her decisions of the past five minutes.

Maybe Tony wouldn’t be angry if she just went back now and explained what happened...maybe he did want the best for her.

She shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts. Nevermind what he did or did not think about her, she’d broken something of his and escaped. The thought of trusting him and willingly returning? That could get her killed. She might as well try to patrol and make something of the evening before her inevitable fate caught up with her.

She took in a deep breath and reveled in the cold air whipping by the rooftops.  _ Safety. For now. _

~*~

Five hours later, she strongly regretted her decision to return to Queens on a Friday night at midnight. Originally, her plan was to stop a few simple break-ins or walk a few drunk people home. That would have been nice. But then, she saw the group of men gathered in a narrow alleyway, and she knew that her night was about to become far more interesting.

“Karen” she whispered to her AI, crouching on a nearby rooftop “Can you listen to what those guys are saying? The creepy ones in the alley, I mean.”

“Of course, Piper.” The AIs soothing voice intoned “While you’ve stopped, would you like to call Mr. Stark? You currently have four missed calls from him.”

Worry bubbled in Piper’s chest. “Is Ned’s code still holding him off from forcing the call through?”

_ Following the events of Homecoming, she’d stayed at Ned’s house while she recovered. They’d stayed up until all hours of the morning, building LEGO forts and drinking absurd amounts of Red Bull. Sometime between the eighth episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Piper sighed dramatically.  _

_ “I wish I could ignore Mr. Stark’s calls. They’re always at, like, the worst times, y’know?” She glanced over at Ned, whose face was perplexed. _

_ “Uh, no? I don’t know? Thats Iron Man, dude!”  _

_ “Yeah, I know that, Ned. But...what if we, like, changed the code on my suit so I have the option to ignore him? Could we do that without him noticing, again?” _

_ “I mean…” Ned stared at the screen in front of them and took a thoughtful sip of his third Redbull. “Probably, yeah. Even with whatever stuff Stark put on the suit after you fucked up- sorry-” He apologized when she winced, not wanting to relive her mistakes “There’s probably still way less security on your suit than his other tech. Do you have any idea how hard it is to hack into his personal database? I tried it once…” _

“So far, yes.” Karen responded, far too calm for the situation at hand. “However, I’m sure the boss will be looking at the code soon. Or, he could just track you.”

“Track-!” Piper yelped, attracting the attention of the creepy alleyway guys. Flattening to the ground instantly she pressed her face against the rooftop gravel as she continued to whisper to the AI. “I thought Ned and I disabled that!”

The AI almost sounded amused when she responded “You tried to. However, Mr. Stark has three other built-in trackers, specifically designed with your previous hacking expeditions in mind.”

“Shit! Ok...uhh...let’s just ignore him for now, yeah? I can always take off my mask later if he breaks through.”

“Ok!” The AI cheerfully returned. “Also, I now have IDs on all of the men in the alleyway below, as well as a quick explanation of what they’re doing.”

“Yes!” Piper pumped her fist. “Let’s hear it.”

“Those men- August DeMartin, Anton Miller, Lucas Perez, and Raymond Maae- are all convicted felons- two received jail time for arson, one for vehicular manslaughter, and another for the kidnapping of three people. They currently are in possession of a number of stolen weapons and are making plans for some sort of heist, likely set to occur within the weekend.”

Piper blinked and peered over the roof edge. “Really? I mean, they looked sketchy, but...that’s a lot.”

“That’s the information I have, Piper. Would you like me to recheck that for you?”

“No, that’s fine. Let’s just see if they want some company.” With that, she swung her legs over the rooftop and dropped onto a rusty fire escape a floor below.

“Hey guys!” She yelled brazenly, leaning on the rusted railing with a careless swagger “It’s a free country and all that, but you’re really looking kinda weird right now. Not planning anything bad, right?”

The man who Karen indicated was Raymond Maae looked up at her, sizing her up. “‘Course not, sweetheart. Why don’t you run along and worry about somethin’ else…help some granny get her cat outta the tree. Then run along home like a good little girl and cook a good meal for your man... I'm sure he’ll appreciate it.”

He laughed an ugly, sick laugh that made the hair on the back of Piper’s neck stand straight up.

“Not cool dude.” She crossed her arms, trying to appear unaffected. “Why don’t you lovely guys go ahead and leave. Go home to your separate houses and try not being misogynistic creepos for a night. It’ll be a whole new experience for you.”

The man’s smile faded quickly, his watery eyes narrowing. “No need for that sort of talk, young lady. Now, get outta here before I make you.” 

Piper gritted her teeth and swung herself over the railing, clinging to the wall. “I don’t think I will, thanks.” 

In an instant, three of the men reached for their pockets, retrieving various weapons. Before a shot could be fired, Piper webbed two guns out of two men’s hands. With one fluid motion, she yanked Raymond towards her with a web, swung forward, and delivered a sharp kick to his jaw. He groaned, sinking to the ground. Reveling in her successful move, Piper failed to notice the fist hurtling towards her. When it connected with her ribcage, she pitched to the side, aiming wildly with her web shooters in an attempt to blind her attacker.

Then, her still aching ankle was grabbed and twisted by the man on the ground. She screamed and kicked his hand away, stumbling backwards into a dumpster. With a clang, her head hit the metal hard, sending shockwaves of dizziness throughout her body. 

“Karen?” She muttered, pressing her hand to her head.

“You have appeared to have stressed the break in your ankle, and have sustained a hard hit to the head. You do not have a concussion. However, at this point, I would strongly recommend calling Mr. Stark.”

“No..no” She waved off the AI, leaning against the wall for support. Glancing around, she was hit by another shock. Her moment of weakness had given the felons the perfect time they needed to escape.

She swiveled, refocusing. They’d gone, but she knew they hadn’t left the alley behind her. Therefore, they must’ve gone up onto the roof from which she’d just descended. Back up, then. 

Gripping the wall, she steeled herself for another fight. Lights flashed in front of her mask, signaling another call from Tony. 

“Ignore it, Karen” She rasped, scuttling up the wall.

“Are you sure-”

“Yes. Please.”

Finishing her painful ascent of the building, she reached the rooftop. It was empty and silent. Too silent. 

Then, the relative quiet was pierced by the famous sound of repulsors. The Iron Man suit in all of its deadly grace landed directly beside her. 

Piper screamed, and then, acting on pure instinct, punched the suit. Pain blossomed throughout her hand, spreading quickly to her arm, and black spots danced in front of her eyes as she stumbled backwards, cradling her arm to her chest. 

All at once, the true horror of her mistakes was made clear to her as Tony stepped out of the titanium suit, his jaw clenched and eyes fiery.

The familiarity of this situation to the aftermath of the ferry incident was striking, but unlike that time, Tony was now no stranger. Here, he could do whatever he wanted.

“Mask. Off. Now.” He snarled, snapping his fingers. Piper hastily obeyed with shaking hands. Any disobedience at this point was out of the question. Tony wasn’t messing around anymore.

“Six fucking hours , and you didn’t think to answer my phone call? And for that matter, when did you decide to lock me out of my own damn tech, huh? Jesus, then you try to hit the suit? Just how stupid...” 

That was when Piper lost it. Tears spilled down her cheeks, filled with the fear and pain that she’d been carrying for weeks. Tony was still yelling, but it felt as though she was hearing him from the end of a tunnel. Her fast breaths drowned out the noise and she swayed slightly in place. 

Then, he took a step forward...and another, reaching for her arm. He was too close. _Too CLOSE._

“Sean, please sir, don’t-” Piper begged, not even realizing what she was saying until her body went cold with dread, a warning from her spider-sense.  Instantly, she slapped a palm over her mouth, futily hoping that it would change the words she’d just uttered. But the damage was already done. 

Tony froze in place, his arm still halfway extended towards her. A stricken expression filtered across his face, and the sinister glare of fury that made him look so similar to Sean a second before was rapidly replaced by quiet guilt.  “God, honey- no” His voice caught in his throat.

Eyes searching Piper’s face for something, Tony dropped his hand from its extended position.  “I- shit - I just wanted to check your hand- you hit the suit. I would never...” 

His voice trailed off, the implications clear, as realization dawned in his eyes.

“I guess it did seem like that. I don’t-” Tony threw a hand in the air in exasperation, unable to express his thoughts clearly. “Where...where do you wanna go with this, kid?”

Piper blanched, staring at him with wide eyes. _What was he doing?_ Punishment always followed her mistakes, and she’d certainly made enough of them that night. Why wasn’t he finishing what he’d started- where was the first punch? The first bruise that she’d have to hide?

“I’m...sorry, sir.” She forced out, trying to answer in an acceptable manner. “ We...can we just go back? To the Tower? Please?” 

The billionaire looked at her for a long moment, exhausted. Then, with a mask of firm neutrality falling over his face, he straightened and let out a long sigh.

“Yeah. Yeah, ok kid. We’ll handle this later."

With that, he spun on his heel and returned to his waiting suit. As it melded around him, Tony cocked his head to the left. 

“I trust you can get back fine?”

Piper gave a slight nod, still not willing to believe that he was really going to let her get away with this.

“Happy trails then kid.” The mask snapped over Tony’s face, and he was gone.

“Oh my God .” Piper hissed, desperately clutching a metal beam for support as her knees buckled. She scanned the rooftop, not willing to believe that Tony had actually left her there. She’d just completed a consecutive run of every rule-breaking thing she could possibly do (short of directly stealing one of the Iron Man suits) and here she was, relatively unscathed.  _ Why? _

A twinge of pain from her hand reminded Piper of where she was supposed to be. Pushing her luck any further was out of the question, so she stood once more on shaky feet and grabbed her mask from the ground. The felons she’d been chasing were long gone, but, for the moment, she couldn’t bring herself to care.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated :)


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> If you're a reader who's been here for while and you haven't already looked back at the added first chapter, I'd suggest doing that so you can get a bit more background on the story.
> 
> Also, since some other fanfic writers I know have been having this issue I feel like I should mention this again: I DO NOT in any way support st*rker. If you follow that ship, I request that you do not interact with my stories in any way and stop reading now.
> 
> To everyone else, enjoy the chapter!

The Iron Man suit dismantled around Tony as he strode into the penthouse, mind filled with confusion.

_How was he supposed to handle this?_

In a way, he almost wanted to ignore what had just transpired and move on, but he also couldn’t let go of the fact that Piper had blocked him out of his own technology. The time spent today remotely rewriting the Spidergirl suit’s code _while it was in motion_ was not something he ever wanted to do again. Originally, he just planned to force the call through and tell her to come back instead of tracking her and dragging her to the Tower. However, by the time he fixed the surprisingly well written code, hours had passed and FRIDAY informed him that Piper was planning on interacting with high-profile criminals. So sure, he got understandably annoyed. 

However, if Piper’s response was anything to judge by, it was clear that he took it too far. Somehow, he managed to scare the shit out of his kid enough that she, whether on purpose or not, compared him to her old abusive foster parent. At the very least, it certainly wasn’t a glowing endorsement of his parental abilities.

The Tower was dark save for the lights in the kitchen, and Tony’s vision had to readjust as he stepped into the main penthouse. A vacuum shut off in the kitchen, and Pepper stood from behind the cabinets, dressed in her pajamas with the added bonus of rubber gloves. Worry and exhaustion making the lines on her face deeper, she abandoned her project of cleaning up the broken glass that Tony forgot in his haste to find Piper.

“Did you find her?”

Tony nodded, feeling his shoulders deflate slightly. 

Pepper glanced behind him, as if expecting Piper to be lurking in the shadows.

“FRIDAY didn’t catch you up on the events then?” Wandering into the kitchen, Tony grabbed another pair of rubber gloves from under the sink and crouched to pick up a few more shards. _How the hell did the pieces scatter this much?_

Pepper sighed, leaning against the island and watching him. “She mentioned when you were on your way back, that’s it.”

“Well,” Tony grasped a piece of the glass with a tight grip, throwing it into the plastic garbage back with a bit more force than necessary while his tone remained perfectly light and even. “I showed up and yelled at her, she was completely sure I was Sean and was going to beat her, so I left and she’s on her way. The usual.”

Silence, then a quiet exhale from his fiancée. “Well, that complicates things.”

“Stunning observation. You can say I screwed up Pep, I’m already well aware.”

“What I think is that you’ve already beaten yourself up about this enough for the both of us, and you need to calm down. I haven’t personally seen what happened, but now it’s up to you to address what needs to be addressed and apologize for what needs an apology.”

Tony hummed in reply, continuing his robotic collection and disposal of the glass.

“Tony, just leave it.” Pepper stopped him with a gentle hand on his. “ I’ll finish up here. Go talk to your kid.”

He glanced up at her, skepticism in his gaze. “She’s not my kid. At least, definitely not in her mind.”

FRIDAY chimed in, informing them that Piper had landed at the tower. 

Pepper just smiled softly at him. “ _Go_ ”.

Giving her a kiss on the cheek, Tony stripped his gloves off and stepped out of the kitchen just as Piper opened the door to the balcony. Her gaze was low as she pulled the Spidergirl mask off to reveal sweaty curls and a red face.

Tony leaned against the couch, crossing his arms. “Hey kid.”

Piper winced, shifting from foot to foot as she rushed out an apology. “I’m sorry for leaving, it- it was a terrible decision and I won’t. Next time.”

“Thank you for your apology” he returned smoothly “That’s not exactly the issue, though.”

As soon as that sentence passed his lips, Tony watched Piper’s entire demeanor change. Her shoulders raised slightly, and she wrapped her arms around herself defensively as though to protect herself from him and his possible anger.

“Right.” Pushing away from the couch, he turned away before she could get herself more worked up. “We’re going to have a chat.”

“Tony” Pepper called from the kitchen “You’re being ominous.”  
  


Indignant, Tony had just opened her mouth to respond when Piper’s head snapped up, realization dawning on her face. “Miss Potts, I’m so sorry. The glass- you don’t have to clean that up, I’ll do it. Please, let me-”

Pepper held up a perfectly manicured hand and the teen snapped her mouth shut. “Don’t worry about it honey. Next time, you can help me, sure. But right now, just go with Tony.”

Piper hesitated before nodding and straightening slightly, her jaw set as though she was marching to her death. 

_Though_ , Tony reflected absently, _in her mind, she probably is._

Choosing the path towards Piper's room, he figured that she might be a bit more comfortable in a space she recognized as her own. Piper limped behind him, her ankle as well as the other multiple injuries from her patrol still clearly causing pain.

Pushing the door open with a soft hand, he paused to allow her to enter the space. Piper also halted, clearly wary to pass by so close to him. Her gaze darted up towards him and they made eye contact for the first time in weeks. Bloodshot from exhaustion and tears, her eyes betrayed nothing but fear. Heart falling heavier in his chest, Tony tried to reassure her, but the words felt flat in his mouth.

“I’m not angry anymore, kiddo. It’s ok.”

A shaky step forward was quickly negated by two fast steps back. Piper shook her head suddenly, raising her chin in a fake play at confidence. “Just get it over with. I- stop pretending. You’re not _forgiving me_.”

Tony leaned against the door for a moment, crossing his arms and regarding her carefully.

“Yeah that’s not gonna fly. Come on.”

Without a backwards glance, he turned on his heel and strode into her room. Disregarding the mess of boxes that Piper had toppled over in her haste to escape earlier, he settled in a large armchair.

Piper’s momentary facade of confidence was still on her face as she followed him, but flickered when he faced her again.

He knew that the second he started talking, she’d immediately overanalyze everything about him. From his actual words to the way he moved his hands when talking, the totality of his demeanor would be judged and weighed against the knowledge and people Piper had met in the past. Simply, that was the way she believed was necessary to think in order to remain safe. 

Tony was self aware; he knew damn well he intimidated the hell out of the kid even when he was at his most casual. Throughout Pipers’ first week at the Tower, he’d tried to retain a professional appearance through wearing suits and working on the SI work Pepper had wanted him to do for months. Establishing some clear difference between him and Sean seemed important. However, it quickly became apparent that this method didn’t work when Piper practically fell over herself apologising for ‘interrupting’ him to ask about going back to school. In that moment, he felt lost for options and wasn’t sure what to think or say. His silence probably reinforced her opinion that his professionalism was negative.

Now, it seemed that she’d associate him with Sean no matter what, so it didn’t seem to particularly matter how he dressed or spoke. So he just started talking, already hating how much of an asshole he sounded like.

“Listen, I overreacted. Yeah, I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m still angry, don’t get me wrong-”

He cut himself off with a sigh, rubbing a hand over his eyes. _Goddamn it, he was too harsh. A moment before, Piper was just telling him to stop acting and hit her. It really wasn’t the time for emotional unavailability._

Refocusing once more, he forced himself to loosen the tension in his hands. “Okay, so, uh- kid, for the love of fuck, _sit down!_ ” He glared up at Piper, as she swayed slightly in place. The blush on her face from her trip to the tower was quickly being replaced by a grey tinge the longer she stood in front of him. She looked like she was being sentenced to jail, the spider suit somehow making her look smaller than ever. 

Piper started at his sudden command and quickly backed up to find seating on another nearby armchair.

“If you’re going to pass out, let me know, okay?” Tony breezed on, not waiting for a response. “Look, on the roof, I wasn’t going to hurt you. I’m not going to, ever. However, you may _not_ touch the coding on the suit ever again, and I made sure that you’re unable to use it if you do so. _I_ created it for your safety, and you altering that on a whim is irresponsible beyond belief. You’re a _kid_ , dammit-”

Piper’s face alternated through multiple emoticons as he spoke, finally settling on faltering, brave, annoyance.

“And what?” She spat, leaning forward with panic in her eyes. “So I did something you decided not to like. What’s the plan then, Stark?”

Tony tensed with a flash of irritation, Piper flinching automatically. But before he could speak another harsh word, he paused. She was just provoking him to break the peace further, to stand up and hit her. Simply because that’s what Sean did. As screwed up as it was, it made Piper know exactly where she stood in relation to the male adult in her life. And now she was stuck with Tony, a relative unknown whose influence in her life had been minimal up to that point.

“What do you think I’m going to do?”

Already prepared for a fight, the relief that flickered on Piper’s face fell away revealing nothing but chagrin. “What- I don’t know...”

“Okay, guess, then. I want to understand what you’re expecting me to do right now.”

“You want ideas, then.” She stated flatly, her eyes darting to the door. “So whatever torture you can come up with on your own isn’t enough?”

Tony reeled. “ _No!_ Just answer the question. Please”

Piper took a deep breath, clearly sensing Tony’s draining patience. She started off slow, but rapidly picked up speed as anxiety fueled her words. 

“You have the suit plus control over mine, so whatever safety I have is gone. You have FRIDAY and literal power over anything I own. You can just use your own fists as you proved at Sean's place- Mr. Stark, I can’t fight you in flat combat- you can use the weapons you have for the Avengers, hell you can use a _belt-”_

“I’m not wearing one.” He pointed out dryly to mask the horror he felt.

“ _That hasn’t stopped anyone before!”_ She shrieked, her breath coming in heaves as she gasped for air. “I just … I don’t understand. What do you even want from me?” With that, Piper finally fell silent, her chin trembling as she waited for Tony’s final verdict.

Fingers threaded together, Tony rested his chin on his knuckles. “I want you to know that doing anything related to what you’ve just listed will never cross my mind.” 

Piper scoffed, but he raised an eyebrow and waited for silence.

“Just listen. I know I’ve yelled a few too many times… tonight being a prime example. But my anger, rightful or not, will never go past that. I’m not going to lay a finger on you. There’s no point, no advantage. What do you really think I’m going to gain from hitting you?”

“You...Sean always said it helped with stress and things like that.” Piper whispered after a pause, not able to even look at him anymore.

Frustration gripped him. Every single thing that Sean had done and said was strikingly manipulative. Piper really believed that her past situation was normal and that others would act the same. _Tony should have killed that man when he had the chance._

“Honey, I have plenty of things to do to solve stress. I’d get no satisfaction from your pain, and neither would any rational person. I’ve never hurt you, and I’m not planning to start anytime soon. Can you try to trust that, just for a little while?”

Piper, _hi_ _s kid_ , whose fists were clenched so hard that he could see her nails biting into her palms, dropped her head in defeat. “Okay.”

Honestly, he swore his heart stopped for a second. “Okay?”

“This isn’t the fault in our Stars, Mr. Stark.” Piper mumbled, relaxing a little bit.

Breathlessly, Tony laughed for the first time in what felt like years. “Alright then, kiddo. We probably should check on your ankle, but then I’ll leave you be.”

But just as he stood to leave the room and find the first aid kit, FRIDAY interrupted him. “Boss, you might want to see this.”

A TV on the wall flickered on, displaying a Fox News news report. A blonde woman in the studio stared into the camera with a painted smile and began to speak.

“Tony Stark, a negligent father to a teenage vigilante? New video evidence from anonymous sources shows the infamous Avenger appearing to berate a teenager wearing what is hailed as the “Spidergirl” suit on a Queens rooftop. Tony Stark has recently landed himself in hot water with the UN due to the creation and faulty implementation of the Sokovia Accords. Now, it seems that his problems are extending to his personal life. Todd, can you describe what is happening in this video?”

The TV switches to split screen, one half showing a rather shady looking news anchor, and the other a shaky, poor quality video of Piper and Tony on the rooftop. Tony’s own garbled voice echoed through the speakers. Luckily, his words were undistinguishable behind the filmer’s heavy breathing and Piper’s face was mostly hidden behind his hovering metal suit. However, his actions were unmistakable.

“Thank you Margaret. As you can see from this video, Mr. Stark appears to be approaching this teenager, who appears to look related to him. While only part of her face is visible, we are at the moment working on identifying-”

“FRIDAY.” Tony cut in sharply, a warning not to let them get far.  
“Already working on it, boss.”

Viewing the footage from a third person view was nothing short of nauseating. As Tony watched himself loom over the clearly petrified Piper before thoughtlessly trying to grab her… he did appear extremely similar to Sean in that moment. One thing was for sure; the media wasn’t going to forget this any time soon. 

The news anchor Todd continued to drone on, psychoanalyzing everything until the video of the encounter abruptly ended when Tony spun around on the roof.

Margaret reappeared on screen, her perky smile annoying the hell out of Tony. “Well, we certainly will be sure to receive a statement from the Avengers regarding this incident, as the safety of Spidergirl on both a professional and an at-home leve is in question at this moment. A child vigilante? Who could have guessed? More on that right after this break.”

The TV shut off, leaving the room cold and uncertain.

“Well... we did forget about those guys with the weapons.” Piper mentioned weakly. “But hey, I am trending on Twitter. Plus, there’s a “Tonystarkisoverparty” hashtag...”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that one! I feel like we're making a bit of progress now :)
> 
> Not sure why, but I've become a bit obsessed with sentence structure variation, so if any of you see places where I can improve, just let me know!
> 
> Also, I was thinking of possibly creating a Tumblr under this same username so you all could send me prompts and stuff. Is that something anyone would be interested in?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my only defense is that it's been a very odd summer.  
> also, the absolute last thing I planned on learning today was Adele's streaming statistics, but here we are I guess.  
> I was planning on doing more editing but I'm sick so posting this now.  
> It's a filler chapter, sorry not sorry dears

Dreamy daylight filtered into the room from around the window shades, casting tiny rays of yellow onto Piper’s sheets. Slowly, Piper blinked, her brain fuzzily reminding her of her location as it pulled her away from her dreams. And dreams were all they were; it had been the first night in weeks that her sleeping mind hadn’t been plagued by hellish nightmares featuring every adult figure in her life. 

Relishing in the lack of a pounding headache behind her eyes, Piper rested her cheek back on her pillow and allowed herself to relax. Still mostly surrounded with the same pillows and bedspread from her first night, she ran an absent hand over one of the additions: a knit blanket in her favorite color of light blue. Astonishingly, she had yet to pay for the gift, monetarily or in another sense. In fact, Tony and Pepper had been more than generous with her accommodations. When fear of future debt prompted Piper to discourage them from purchasing new things for her, they’d just continued giving quietly. 

The only question remained; _would it last?_

Piper hoped so with every fiber of her being, but it still felt as though she spent every day wobbling along a tightrope. _If she tripped, would Tony catch her, or would he push her off?_

The night before, she’d agreed to his request. It didn’t matter if she really trusted him, or if she even wanted to try to. She had already stumbled once with her outbursts and mistakes. The wire had begun to swing dangerously, evidenced by Tony’s eventual loss of patience and control over his harsher words. One more misstep was all it would take for him to lose control over his temper… and fists. Certainly, Tony’s lack of physical aggression had remained in place for far longer than any other man Piper had met. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if that unnerved or reassured her. She’d seen glimpses of his anger with his outburst on the roof and wasn’t eager to provoke it again. 

But still the thought lingered that he’d sounded so damn honest the night before. He’d stayed up late, reassuring her that he meant no harm. Even if every word he spoke was a lie, Sean would never have done that. By the time Piper returned home after a fight, her foster father was always passed out with a few empty bottles in the sink. Her punishment would continue the next day.

Sure, Tony could be playing a long game, saving her pain for another time. _But to what gain? If he was planning that, why wouldn’t he start now?_

Piper sighed, turning her face towards her pillow. 

She just had to trust him, or at least appear like she did. It was simple. Her life depended on it, which _technically_ was circular logic…

A sharp knock sounded at her door, startling her from her unfortunate ring of thoughts.

“Come in” She called automatically

Pepper, once more clad in her traditional pantsuit, opened the door. “Wow, it’s dark in here” She murmured, stepping into the room.

“Oh, sorry” Flipping over, Piper flicked the switch to turn her lamp on, bathing the room in yellow light.

“Thank you, and good morning. Sleep well?”

“Yes, ma’am”

Pepper smiled sadly at her. “You really can call me Pepper, dear. Sorry to wake you up this early, but Tony and I are working to solve the press issue right now, and would like some possible input on a few of our ideas.”

“Oh” Piper sat up and swung her legs out from under the blankets. “Like, right now?” _So soon? She hadn’t expected to have to face Tony again for a day or two, let alone tell him her opinion._

“As soon as you’re ready. I know yesterday was..draining, so take your time.”

A warm blush crawled up Piper’s face as her hysterics from the day before flooded her mind. “It’s okay ma’-Pepper, I’ll just go now.” Sliding out of the bed, she immediately felt underdressed beside the professional businesswoman beside her. A sweater lying on a chair nearby proved to be a quick fix, and Piper quickly ducked out of the room, only stumbling when the pain from the previous day hit her like a wave. 

“Oh” She mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut as sensations of dizziness and pain flooded her nervous system.

“Hon? What’s going on?” Worry coloring her voice, Pepper laid a gentle hand on Piper’s arm.

Fighting her strong desire deflect the question, Piper tried to answer honestly for the first time in a while. “I-I hit my head, yesterday. And kinda punched Tony’s suit... and might have hurt my ankle again. Possibly.”

Silence. _She should have just lied._

“Well, you certainly have a knack for getting into trouble. Pepper let out a breathless laugh, somehow managing to sound concerned and amused at the same time. "Reminds me of when Tony first built the suits. Do you think you need to see a doctor? _”_

Piper grimaced and shook her head. “No, I’ll be alright.” _No need to bother anyone with this. Despite how slow her healing was at the moment, it surely had to help some._

Reluctantly, Pepper pulled her hand away from the teen’s shoulder. “Alright. Just try to keep calm and rest whenever you need to, okay?”

Piper hummed in agreement, already focused on the voices from the main room. A few curious steps forward revealed an entirely new situation. Colonel Rhodes, Tony, and an unfamiliar man all sat in the same seating area where Piper had signed the guardianship papers a few weeks prior. All were engaged in quiet discussion, but Colonel Rhodes spotted Piper upon her entry and called out to her.

“The lady of the hour! Come on over, Piper, and meet the man that’ll save all of our asses.”

As her name passed his lips, Piper remembered her secret identity with a shock. She had to find a way to leave without offending and revealing more about herself, right? Clearly, she had no time, as Tony and the other man’s conversation trailed off and they turned in their seats. Piper couldn’t help the small shudder of dread that ran through her as their eyes landed on her, or the tiny murmur of protest that she let out as Tony made a motion to stand.

Thankfully, Tony saw her hesitation and settled back on his couch immediately. His posture was effortlessly casual, one ankle resting on the opposite knee and arm slung over the empty couch cushions beside him. 

“Morning, kiddo.” He offered her a lopsided grin and gestured to the unfamiliar man. “This is Albert Brightridge, he’s one of our top five PR managers for SI, and he’s handing the reporters’ asses to them as they report bullshit. His time here is completely confidential, you have nothing to worry about.” 

The man in question, a short, balding thing of approximately 50 years old, winced politely. “An awful way of phrasing it, but yes. As Mr. Stark said, I handle a lot of PR and should hopefully be of help with the video leak. Pleased to meet you, Miss Parker.” Rising from the chair, he offered a hand for Piper to shake. Tony tensed instantly, a hand rising slightly as though to pull the man back into his seat. However, Piper had been raised with more manners than that. She crossed the room quickly and shared a brief but firm handshake with Albert.

“Pleased to meet you too, sir.” Heart pounding and praying she’d done the right thing, Piper joined Tony on the couch and folded her sweaty hands in her lap.

“So,” Tony started, then looked helplessly at Albert, who took the lead with bravo.

“Mr. Stark has informed me that you have already seen the video in question?” 

Piper nodded, guilt building in her mind. _She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten about the criminals on the roof in her panic. What kind of superhero was she? Maybe Tony was right those months ago… she shouldn't have the suit. Even with it, she was nothing._

“Basically, we’re doing damage control for that. The video so far appears on over 30 platforms, and has been streamed over 6 million times in less than 18 hours. For reference, that’s just 1.32 million less than Adele’s music video for _Hello_ received in one week in 2016. Normally, it’s customary to do a press conference for media scandals… Mr. Stark is well practiced in those. However,” Albert paused and eyed the deep purple bruises that mottled Piper’s hand, “this is a completely different situation. To be frank, ma’am, you are wholly unprepared for the media and the types of questions they ask. What also needs to be kept in mind is the fact that a press conference only gives you one chance to make an impression. What would you say, right now, if a reporter asked you if Tony ever made any suggestive advances on you while working in his employment?” 

Piper blinked in shock. “I- no! He never-what?”

“Exactly.” 

Albert turned towards Tony, fixing the billionaire with a watery blue gaze. “The company can hold an initial press conference addressing the issue. However, you personally have to put on another event.” 

Running a calloused hand through his already-wild hair, Tony intensely studied the coffee table for a moment. “Yeah...okay. How about a charity ball? I’m sure there’s a good foundation out there that needs a kickstarter.”

Pepper nodded instantly, pulling a tablet out of what seemed like thin air. “I’ve already got a few in mind.”

“But-” Piper snapped her jaw closed as soon as the contrary word slipped out, but it was too late. The adults turned to her, curiosity in their gazes. “Nevermind, sorry.”

“No, no, go ahead” Tony smiled reassuringly, but Piper still leaned away as her pulse spiked.

_“No, go ahead.” Sean loomed over her, his belt still hanging loosely from his meaty hand. The shiny buckle winked in the fluorescent light, taunting her. “Say it again.”_

_“Sir- please, I won’t. I didn’t mean to argue-”_

_“SAY IT!” He roared, spittle hitting Piper’s face from the force of his yell._

_“I- I don’t think you sh-should go out again tonight, because you already spent so much money yester-”_

_Before she could even whimper out another word, the belt was flying towards her. The buckle glimmered in the light once more before colliding with her rib cage, ripping a scream from her throat._

“Mr. Stark, I-” _A genius._ Why was she arguing with a _genius_? There was no chance she'd be right, and even less of a chance he wouldn't be annoyed by her attempt to correct him. And yet, he was still there calmly waiting for her to speak, palms flat on his suit-clad legs. No closed fists, no fast movements. 

_Trust. She had to trust that this would last just a bit longer._

“Wouldn’t- wouldn’t a charity ball reinforce the concept that I’m just your charity case?” She blurted out “Like, the whole concept was trending on twitter last night, and just the name is really misleading…”

Pepper looked horrified. “Honey, we’d never-”

Interrupting her with a practiced snort, Tony leaned back against the couch cushions. “Kid’s right though. It does sound like it.” He threw his head back dramatically, looking over towards Albert, who still looked professionally uncomfortable. “So what are our other options?”

“I agree that the title of charity ball is misleading, but we might just have to change the name. The concept of a party for her adoption is alluring, of course-”

“It’s not official.” Tony interrupted, his voice firm and not inviting comments.

Anxiously, Piper glanced up at him, expecting displeasure at the assumption that they were close enough for adoption. Instead, impassiveness was all that was displayed on his face. _Somehow, that was worse._ A cold feeling settled in Piper’s stomach.

Albert blinked. “Ah. That would have been helpful to know. My apologies for assuming, sir. The issue with many common upper class parties is that the focus lands on one person for the whole night… that one person in question would be Miss Parker. With all respect, she appeared as though she might faint when the four of us looked at her at the same time.”

“It’s an upgrade.” Piper muttered under her breath. The edge of Tony’s mouth quirked up.

“Currently,” Albert continued, oblivious. “It is a few weeks away from Christmas...I know you were not planning on hosting anything this year, Mr. Stark, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Simply call a last minute gala. The guests will obviously know it’s a publicity stunt, but I am certain that with your resources, you can pull off something dazzling. We just have to pray that the press will be satisfied with some photos and a small speech, as well as the company’s statement today.”

“But-” No longer able to stand the questions building in her brain, Piper straightened in her seat. “I have a secret identity! I can’t exactly wear my suit to the gala, how the hell do we pull this off?”

An awkward silence fell, and the adults exchanged meaningful glances. Piper’s tongue felt heavy in her mouth.

“We can’t.” Tony finally spoke up. “It’s just not feasible or realistic to keep up a secret identity while living here, I’m sorry kid. This is where the road divides. If you keep your identity and don’t appear in public today, you’ll never be able to spend time in public with any of us and just leaving the tower without being spotted by the paparazzi at the doors would be ridiculous. It goes without saying that the media would go batshit also, claiming we’ve murdered you to keep you silent about the video or something. You either need to go public, or we can find you somewhere else to stay.”

Piper slid away from him on the couch. “I- are you giving me… some sort of shitty ultimatum? You promised I could stay here. You promised-”

“I know I promised, kid!” Tony’s voice raised in volume and Piper flinched instantly.

Rhodey, seeing the clear escalation in the room, spoke up. “Okay, everyone just take a breather. Piper….technically, yes, you could wear your suit to the gala. Your name hasn’t been made public yet. Honestly though, we’ve been up all night brainstorming-” He gestured at the kitchen and Piper glanced up at the multiple empty coffee cups on the counter. “- and having a public identity would be the most safe and comfortable for you, _not_ just us”

Piper blinked at him, vivid imaginations of a public life flying through her brain. _Would she be shunned by her classmates even more? Or accepted? Could her friends get hurt because they knew her?_

No matter what, she really didn’t have an option. She had nowhere else to go. This was what they wanted her to do.

Slowly, she dropped her eyes and nodded her approval to the carpet.

It was settled with a handshake between Tony and Albert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheers!


End file.
